A visit to Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve at the weekend threw up a first for me almost the second I got out of my car. Virtually the first bird I saw announced its presence extremely loudly but disappeared as soon as I raised my camera. I was fairly sure what it was but asked the warden who confirmed it was a Cetti's warbler. Now if you read the Collins Guide to British Birds these should only be spotted in a couple of locations in the South of England. However over the years they have been moving steadily North and there at least two pairs on this reserve. The female was difficult to spot skulking in the reeds and scrub but the male was happy to sit out in the open flitting from tree to tree
Spring is in full swing on the local canal with lots of tiny ducklings appearing as well as a nesting Canadian goose. However it seems some have taken a little while to get into the mood as these two geese proved this weekend. As I spotted them they began taking it in turns to dip their heads into the water before the male moved round to the side and then suddenly grabbed the female by the neck. As they copulated the male pushed the females head further under the surface before yanking her back up as he finished. Hopefully they'll go on to bring up a brood of young goslings to add to the new life on the canal.
After the devastating floods of Boxing Day 2015 the river banks also took a battering and were reshaped with trees and undergrowth uprooted and washed away. One tree near where I watch the kingfishers was knocked down but has survived lying on the riverbank and its turning into a perfect natural hide. I can get inside the branches with my portable chair and the new spring growth is beginning to throw up a nice leafy cover. I'd just settled in when the first kingfisher shot past up stream and its mate surprised me by landing ten feet away in a tree above my head. I had not time to amend any settings on my camera before it flew into the next tree and then away after the female. They entertaine
I seem to have a habit of spotting a bird or animal and then fixating on it till I get a decent shot. Is it just me or do all wildlife photographers behave like this. It's like having a different nemesis every week. The treecreeper has been one of these elusive species for awhile now but spending more time in woodland rather than the banks of rivers does increase the chances of seeing them. They have amazing camouflage and blend in brilliantly with the trunks of trees on which they search for food. They have a slender down turned beak with which they probe the bark for small insects and spiders and on a couple of my pictures they seem to have a long tongue which will help wheedle out their p
